Stanley Encapsulated Ejection Seat...

[Double T]

was pioneered for a (?) supersonic aircraft in the USAF inventory.
Did you know that in testing, they used bears as test subjects? They were ejected at altitude, and at supersonic speeds.

Fascinating subject. Anyone care to guess the aircraft?
Tim.

[Groggy]

was pioneered for a (?) supersonic aircraft in the USAF inventory.
Did you know that in testing, they used bears as test subjects? They were ejected at altitude, and at supersonic speeds.

Fascinating subject. Anyone care to guess the aircraft?
Tim.
Hi Tim

Four Engines and rather fast, Engine out at speed and not even the Ejector seat would save you? Fifty years ago it made a lot of Noise!

[Ricky]

Was it the Rockwell XB-70 Valkyrie?

[Red Admiral]

Was it the Rockwell XB-70 Valkyrie?

The system was first used on the B-58 Hustler but reused for the B-70. I've never been a fan of the B-58; it's fast but short ranged and not a particularly useful aircraft.

[Double T]

Red Admiral has it.
It was the Convair B-58 Hustler.
There were two groups, one based in Texas and one at Bunker Hill AFB, Bunker Hill, IN.
With it's unique Hoosier connection, and the ability to carry a nuclear bombload at mach 2, an example can be seen from the US 31.

In my opinion, nothing else quite compared to the B-58 Hustler. It was remarkable both in design and performance. Many of it's speed records still stand.
(wink)
Tim

[Red Admiral]

I'm not so sure about it. It couldn't fly high enough or fast enough to evade the surface to air missiles introduced at around the same time so had to switch to a low level penetration role, where the range shrank massively. For the low level role, the Mirage IV, FB-111 and TSR2 are a few years later but much more capable. I seem to remember a few proposed advanced versions of the B-58 but really I think M3.0 and 70,000ft+ were required which pushes up to the XB-70.

[Double T]

'Just not feelin' the love there Red.
The Convair B-58 Hustler was the result of an interesting set of mission and performance specifications, and with the time frame (late 1950's) made for a remarkable result in my mind.
I can't deny that the SAC mission parameters changed, and it had a relatively short mission life-span, but the nuclear deterrent was real.
C'mon now. The whole thing was a flying fuel-tanker that hauled-ass at mach2. No room for a conventional bomb-bay, thus the two part fuel and nuclear-bomb pod slung from it's belly. Crew of three in their own cockpits and able to eject at altitude and up to mach 2, and, perhaps survive. We're talking excitement now! I can't think of a racier bomber that prowled the skies during the cold war.
All designed before the practical use of CAD and such... yes, I'm amazed me that Kelly Johnson and Lockheed wasn't behind it somehow.
The 305th BW at Bunker Hill AFB in Indiana flew the big pointy-nosed beast and I remember hearing of the many speed records and such as a youngster. In spite of the ejection capsules, crewmen died... many times on take-off or landing. It was powered by (4) GE J79s... the ones like in the F4 Phantom, and it's said that it was something to see one go to full afterburner after take-off. Especially at sunset! They were said to be real good climbers.... and you you could refuel on 'the-fly' as well.
It was a beautiful aircraft and I think it's time I took a drive up to Grissom Air Museum and saw one again for myself.

Tim

[Groggy]

'Just not feelin' the love there Red.
The Convair B-58 Hustler was the result of an interesting set of mission and performance specifications, and with the time frame (late 1950's) made for a remarkable result in my mind.
I can't deny that the SAC mission parameters changed, and it had a relatively short mission life-span, but the nuclear deterrent was real.
C'mon now. The whole thing was a flying fuel-tanker that hauled-ass at mach2. No room for a conventional bomb-bay, thus the two part fuel and nuclear-bomb pod slung from it's belly. Crew of three in their own cockpits and able to eject at altitude and up to mach 2, and, perhaps survive. We're talking excitement now! I can't think of a racier bomber that prowled the skies during the cold war.
All designed before the practical use of CAD and such... yes, I'm amazed me that Kelly Johnson and Lockheed wasn't behind it somehow.
The 305th BW at Bunker Hill AFB in Indiana flew the big pointy-nosed beast and I remember hearing of the many speed records and such as a youngster. In spite of the ejection capsules, crewmen died... many times on take-off or landing. It was powered by (4) GE J79s... the ones like in the F4 Phantom, and it's said that it was something to see one go to full afterburner after take-off. Especially at sunset! They were said to be real good climbers.... and you you could refuel on 'the-fly' as well.
It was a beautiful aircraft and I think it's time I took a drive up to Grissom Air Museum and saw one again for myself.

Tim

Hi Tim, Folks,
Yes it was it was something to see one go to full afterburner after take-off.
Then with a quartet of Vulcans taking off in quick succession and being a hundred feet or so from the point of rotation, wonderful experiance that schoolboys do not forget.

[Double T]

A closet Vulcan-lover I see.
Well, heres one for you... try and visualize this.
---------------------------------
Mark, mtomek(@)skytex.net, 27.04.2009

One never forgettable event.

Was a Com-Nav NCO with the 340th BW stationed at Bergstrom AFB, Austin, TX. in the mid 60's. We were having problems with a KC135 and one of it's nav systems. When a problem reoccurred repeatedly, a maint guy would fly along to try and understand what was actually going on in flight since things up there could be a lot different than on the ground where we were trying to fix things......besides that, flight pay was a welcomed additioned to the family budget.

This particular mission was refueling somewhere over the South Eastern US. I had gone back to the boomer's booth and was lying along side him to witness the refueling....had never seen this before.

Time of day was twilight, we were a few Kft above dense, but flat topped cloud cover, whole sky was orange (absolutely gorgeous with the orange sun's rays and the flat gray puffs of cloud tops below) and visibility was decreasing rapidly....but not too rapidly to spoil the show.

Astern and below us (above the clouds) and several miles out, a pair of 58's (side by side, one slightly ahead of the other) eased up behind the "gas pump".

One parked off to the side and the first eased up into position. The boomer guided the nozzle into the receptacle and we "gassed" up #1. When finished, he backed off a hundred ft. or so and did a snappy wing walk (wings vertical for a couple of seconds then back to horizontal) over to the opposite side of us from where his wingman was.

Wingman did his snappy wing walk, lining up with us and got into position to repeat the process.

When his appetite had been satisfied, he dropped down and back, coming into alignment with his wingman who was waiting........now this is where the goosebumps raise up on your arms.

As if on que, (which it probably was as they probably were talking to each other on UHF Com.), they did a snappy right angle bank (wing walk style, like before, but both of them in tandem this time) off to the East, in tandem, lit their burners (which were blowing at us by this time), and we saw 8 fireballs disappear into the dusk.

Other than my wife, of 47 1/2 years, this is/was the most beautiful sight I have ever seen and I shall never forget it.

Later on I was working for Texas Instruments at Dallas and had the privilege of working with a couple of the engineers who were part of the 58 development program at Carswell AFB, FT. Worth, TX. They had some film clips of some of their efforts which they allowed us to view on several occasions.

I always thought that was one beautiful aircraft.

USAF, Sept. 22, 1959-June 6, 1968.
---------------------

Tim